The challenges of planning in the unequal cities. "Urban poverty workshop" for innovating urban planners education path.

The recent shift from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals scored a point of no return in the international debate on development, stating that the separation between the rich part and the poor part of the population is no longer with the North and the South of the world, but between nearby areas in always more highly polarized contexts. In this framework, a deeper knowledge of the spatial dimension of poverty and of its spatial implications is required; especially in the Italian Faculty of Architecture where urban design and plan-making are frequently still considered "the real core" of the discipline with the general under-evaluation of the wicked problems. On the contrary, in the United States, thanks to the passionate work of Ananya Roy, this knowledge found its place, first in the university program at the Institute of Urban and Regional Development of UC Berkeley, and then in Los Angeles, being highly appreciated both by students, scholars and NGOs. According to this awareness, the first workshop "Urban Poverty. The praxis of planning in unequal cities" organized in September 2016 at the Sapienza’s Faculty of Architecture in Rome, gave the opportunity for discussing and testing theory and practices of urban research and city planning with issues of poverty, in particular regards of western cities and the city of Rome. This first experiment offered the opportunity to think about the interdisciplinary and/or international teaching aimed at preparing students for today’s and tomorrow’s planning challenges in the unequal cities

A new targeted CFTR mutation panel based on next-generation sequencing technology

Searching for mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR) is a key step in the diagnosis of and neonatal and carrier screening for cystic fibrosis (CF), and it has implications for prognosis and personalized therapy. The large number of mutations and genetic and phenotypic variability make this search a complex task. Herein, we developed, validated, and tested a laboratory assay for an extended search for mutations in CFTR using a next-generation sequencing based method, with a panel of 188 CFTR mutations customized for the Italian population. Overall, 1426 dried blood spots from neonatal screening, 402 genomic DNA samples from various origins, and 1138 genomic DNA samples from patients with CF were analyzed. The assay showed excellent analytical and diagnostic operative characteristics. We identified and experimentally validated 159 (of 188) CFTR mutations. The assay achieved detection rates of 95.0% and 95.6% in two large-scale case series of CF patients from central and northern Italy, respectively. These detection rates are among the highest reported so far with a genetic test for CF based on a mutation panel. This assay appears to be well suited for diagnostics, neonatal and carrier screening, and assisted reproduction, and it represents a considerable advantage in CF genetic counseling

Eculizumab as a promising treatment in thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disorder caused by antibodies directed against the neuromuscular junction. Some patients may have an associated thymoma, which confers a worse prognosis. Eculizumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits the activation of terminal complement, has recently been approved for the treatment of refractory generalized myasthenia gravis. This is an early case report of thymoma-associated refractory myasthenia gravis successfully treated with eculizumab in a real-world setting

The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor: 2019 Edition

This second edition of the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor shows how well 190 cities in 30 European countries perform on a range of measures describing the ‘Cultural Vibrancy’, the ‘Creative Economy’ and the ‘Enabling Environment’ of a city. In 2018, Madrid, Geneva and Győr used the Monitor to pursue different objectives, such as analysing investment needs and re-designing creative industries’ strategies. A paper was also published in a top-level journal in the field of urban studies (Cities) to offer policy insights to the scholarly community. As one of the 65 actions of the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, the Monitor wants to support the European Commission’s efforts to put culture at the heart of its policy agenda through evidence and success stories in cities.JRC.I.1-Monitoring, Indicators & Impact Evaluatio

Enhancement of TiO2 NPs Activity by Fe3O4 Nano-Seeds for Removal of Organic Pollutants in Water

The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized in the presence of a very small amount of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, is here presented and discussed. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses, the crystallinity of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) seems to be affected by Fe3O4, acting as nano-seeds to improve the tetragonal TiO2 anatase structure with respect to the amorphous one. Photocatalytic activity data, i.e., the degradation of methylene blue and the Ofloxacin fluoroquinolone emerging pollutant, give evidence that the increased crystalline structure of the NPs, even if correlated to a reduced surface to mass ratio (with respect to commercial TiO2 NPs), enhances the performance of this type of catalyst. The achievement of a relatively well-defined crystal structure at low temperatures (Tmax = 150 \u25e6C), preventing the sintering of the TiO2 NPs and, thus, preserving the high density of active sites, seems to be the keystone to understand the obtained results

3D stereophotogrammetric facial analysis of SMAII patients

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare neurodegenerative disease, due to autosomal recessive mutations on SMN1 gene. It is clinically classified into 4 phenotypes (SMAI-SMAIV) and it is characterized by muscular weakness and atrophy of the voluntary muscles of the legs, arms and trunk [1]. No information is available about soft tissue facial characteristics in these patients. To better define their facial phenotype and to evidence possible modifications, the 3D facial reconstructions of 12 male SMAII patients (3-8 years) were evaluated. All of them were able to sit, but not to walk independently and had respiratory problems, chewing and swallowing difficulties. The facial reconstructions were obtained through a stereophotogrammetric system, after the non-invasive identification of 50 facial reference landmarks, whose 3D coordinates were used to calculate a series of linear measurements. Data were compared with those of healthy controls, matched for age and sex, through the calculation of z-score values [2]. Results show that patients have larger skull base, mandibular and facial widths (z-score = 1.5, 2 and 1.8 respectively), together with an increased height of the nose (z-score = 3) and mandibular body length (z-score = 2.1). The mandibular ramus length is reduced (z-score = -2.6). Results are of interest to define the facial anatomy of these patients, since a detailed knowledge of their facial features can be useful to create ergonomic devices, as respiratory masks, that these patients must daily use

Antibacterial activity of standard and N-doped titanium dioxide-coated endotracheal tubes: an in vitro study

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa of two nanoparticle endotracheal tube coatings with visible light-induced photocatalysis. Methods: Two types of titanium dioxide nanoparticles were tested: standard anatase (TiO2) and N-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2). Nanoparticles were placed on the internal surface of a segment of commercial endotracheal tubes, which were loaded on a cellulose acetate filter; control endotracheal tubes were left without a nanoparticle coating. A bacterial inoculum of 150 colony forming units was placed in the endotracheal tubes and then exposed to a fluorescent light source (3700 lux, 300-700 nm wavelength) for 5, 10, 20, 40, 60 and 80 minutes. Colony forming units were counted after 24 hours of incubation at 37\ub0C. Bacterial inactivation was calculated as the percentage reduction of bacterial growth compared to endotracheal tubes not exposed to light. Results: In the absence of light, no relevant antibacterial activity was shown against neither strain. For P. aeruginosa, both coatings had a higher bacterial inactivation than controls at any time point (p < 0.001), and no difference was observed between TiO2 and N-TiO2. For S. aureus, inactivation was higher than for controls starting at 5 minutes for N-TiO2 (p = 0.018) and 10 minutes for TiO2 (p = 0.014); inactivation with N-TiO2 was higher than that with TiO2 at 20 minutes (p < 0.001), 40 minutes (p < 0.001) and 60 minutes (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Nanosized commercial and N-doped TiO2 inhibit bacterial growth under visible fluorescent light. N-TiO2 has higher antibacterial activity against S. aureus compared to TiO2

Cortical Complexity Estimation Using Fractal Dimension: A Systematic Review of the Literature on Clinical and Nonclinical Samples

Fractal geometry has recently been proposed as a useful tool for characterizing the complexity of the brain cortex, which is likely to derive from the recurrence of sulci–gyri convolution patterns. The index used to describe the cortical complexity is called fractal dimensional (FD) and was employed by different research exploring the neurobiological correlates of distinct pathological and nonpathological conditions. This review aims to describe the literature on the application of this index, summarize the heterogeneities between studies and inform future research on this topic. Sixty-two studies were included in the systematic review. The main research lines concern neurodevelopment, aging and the neurobiology of specific psychiatric and neurological disorders. Overall, the included papers indicate that cortical complexity is likely to reduce during aging and in various pathological processes affecting the brain. Nevertheless, the high heterogeneity between studies strongly prevents the possibility of drawing conclusions. Further research considering this index besides other morphological values is needed to better clarify the role of FD in characterizing the cortical structure